The Lies We Tell
by Skalidra
Summary: It's a nightmare come true when Harrison's daughter, Jesse, is taken from her college by Zoom. Of course, a visit to Harrison himself isn't far behind.


Hello! This is for ladyofpride's Harrison Wells Appreciation Ficathon (part 2), getting us through the empty gaps between seasons. (Thank you, darling!) One of my choices for a partner to write in was Jay Garrick, and I chose to use Zoom!Garrick. Yes, for the purposes of this story, Zoom and 'Jay' are the same person; what his actual name is does not come into play. Enjoy!

 **Warnings** for : minor violence, blackmailing.

* * *

His heart is pounding as he takes another step forward, still staring at the screen in front of him and the report playing on it. The image of that phone, _Jesse's_ phone, lying broken in the rubble playing again in his mind. His leg bumps the desk, and he folds forward, pressing his hands against it and squeezing his eyes shut.

He just— He just needs to _think_ . Zoom wouldn't have bothered taking Jesse if he was just going to kill her ( _unless it's a show_ , a traitorous part of his mind whispers), so she has to be stored somewhere by now, caged somewhere. Her kidnapping was public, it was violent, he was _meant to see_ and that's one thing in his favor. If he was meant to see then she must be valuable to Zoom somehow, or Zoom must need something from _him_ .

If he can bargain, if he can just negotiate his way out of this, maybe he can get her back safely. Zoom is psychotic, by all accounts, but the man is a far cry from being _dumb_ , and only— only stupid kidnappers kill their hostages before they have what they want. She'll be safe for at least a little while, at least until Zoom's gotten whatever he wants, and that gives him a chance to get her out.

If she still has it, maybe he can track her watch and the app on it, that's not it's design but Jesse is _smart_ — _so_ smart — and if she has any chance of signaling where she is, she'll do it. He just has to figure out what she might do and play the other end of it. He can do that, can't he? Opinions aside, their minds have always worked along the same tracks. If he just _thinks_ , he can work out whatever she'll do. Assuming she has any chance to even try. Assuming Zoom isn't smart enough to strip every single bit of technology off her and her surroundings, which he might be.

Oh _god_ .

The sharp beep of his own watch slices into his thoughts like a blade, and he has a single moment to look down at the flash of red light in horror before there's a rush of air and he's being spun and slammed down onto his desk faster than he can react. A gloved hand closes around his throat, squeezing hard enough that when he tries to gasp in a breath he _can't_ , and he claws at the black suit protecting that arm as his eyes rise to the _demon_ above him.

"Dr. Wells ," Zoom says in that distorted growl of a voice, blue lightning flickering along the outside of that suit, stinging at his hands and his throat. "You and I have something to _discuss_ ."

He chokes, and then he's being lifted and flung to the floor, where he rolls from the momentum until his back slams into the supports of the table he'd been working on. He hears the equipment still on it rattle, and tries to catch his breath as he braces his hands against the floor and starts to push up. Another rush of air, a flash of blue lightning in the corner of his vision, and a booted foot cracks into his ribs with enough force that he feels something give, and what little air he had comes out in a shout of pain. He collapses back down, and that same foot presses down over his wrist as Zoom sinks into a crouch over him, other hand lowering and pressing underneath his chin to drag his head up a couple inches.

"Whatever you want," he gasps, staring up at those black eyes. "Whatever you want I'll give it just _please,_ let my daughter go."

Zoom watches him, head tilted to the side like he's some particularly fascinating species of bug pinned to a case instead of an actual human being. "Your daughter is mine. Your _cooperation_ could make sure that she stays unharmed. Relatively."

He shudders, stays very still and tries not to flinch at the sharp tingle of electricity beneath his chin. "Anything you want," he promises.

"The _Flash_ ," Zoom hisses. "He's going to come to you looking for an ally, and you're going to help him. You're going to study his powers and figure out a way to increase them, and then you're going to deliver him to _me_ ."

"Increase his powers?" he echoes. "Why?"

That hand closes around his throat again, slamming his head back into one of the table's supports. Something falls and shatters on the floor behind him, and his world swims just a bit as Zoom growls, "Because I _told_ you to. Don't disappoint me, Dr. Wells."

Then Zoom is just _gone_ , leaving his room silent apart from the still-talking announcement of the attack on the college from across the room. He slowly gets to his feet, one arm pressed to his side and the aching pain of one of his ribs, looking around the room to make sure that he's alone. Apart from the one shattered vial on the floor, and the aches he can feel that are definitely going to be bruises, it doesn't even look like he was ever attacked.

He looks back up in time to catch the picture of Jesse flashing onto the screen, and the announcer's voice as he says, " _It's been confirmed that the kidnapped student is Jesse Quick, the daughter of S.T.A.R. Labs founder Harrison Wells, who just earlier had a rather public confrontation with the Flash over the unveiling of his latest meta-human awareness app. We have no information on whether the two events are connected, and Dr. Wells has not yet been reached for a comment, but—_ "

He turns the screen off, ignores the way his phone is buzzing on the table, and moves over to sit down on the couch and just not think for a minute or two.

Which of course is when his watch goes off again, and for the second time there's a rush of air, a flash of lightning — yellow, this time — and suddenly the Flash is standing in the center of his room, looking at him with eyes that _scream_ with some complicated mixture of pity and wariness.

"Flash," he greets, voice as flat as he can make it.

"Dr. Wells," Flash answers. "I— I saw the attack but I couldn't get there in time and I heard— I heard your daughter was the one taken. Is that right?"

He _longs_ for a drink. Something to burn or at least distract as he spits out a terse, "Yes. Late _as usual_ , Flash. What do you want?"

Flash hesitates a moment, glancing around and then studying him for a moment before asking, "Has he contacted you? Made any demands?"

It's easy to lie and just say, "No." Flash's gaze slips sideways, over to the remains of the shattered vial, and in response to the raised eyebrow he makes himself say, "I dropped it when the report came on." _Anger_ slides through him, sharp and sudden, and he pushes himself to his feet — despite the pain of his side — and takes an aggressive step forward. "If you'd just _caught_ him before now none of this would have happened."

"It's not that easy and you know it," Flash says, meeting his challenge. "He's faster than me, he's stronger—"

"He has my daughter!"

"What am I supposed to do?!"

That helpless anger swells in him, then starts to bleed away just as quickly, leaving behind just the _helplessness_ . Until he looks at the Flash and actually _sees_ the exact same helpless anger in those eyes, and his mind slams back into gear.

He has to buy time to either find Jesse or actually figure out a way to capture or kill Zoom. The only way he's going to buy that time is if he does what Zoom wants, which is to find some way of making the Flash faster. He'll have to work on exactly _why_ Zoom wants that later, but for now, all he has to do is reel the Flash in and get a basic handle on how speed-powers work. Zoom's powers probably function similarly if not identically, and if he can speed someone up, he should be able to slow them down too. He can figure out _some_ way to trap Zoom, or neutralize his powers, or _something_ .

"Nothing," he spits at the Flash, "you're no match. But I might be able to use you to beat him myself."

He circles around, heads back to his table and the equipment on it, as the Flash stares at him and then blurts, "What?"

"You said it yourself," he answers, impatient already. "I made all of you; I can figure out how your powers work and either make you faster or him slower. Whichever is easier."

"You think you can do that?" Flash's voice has an almost hopeful tinge, and he barely resists rolling his eyes.

"I founded a lab and built a particle accelerator which released a wave of dark matter underneath the town, not to mention my _countless_ other experiments and inventions over the years. _Yes_ , I'm sure I can figure out one meta-human's powers and devise some sort of counter or aid." He looks up at the silence that meets his statement, narrowing his eyes at the skepticism.

"Dr. Wells…"

"He _has my daughter_ ," he repeats, grinding the words out. "There is _nothing_ I would not do to get her back, Flash, even if that means working with you, and I _will not_ leave her in that monster's hands for even a second longer than I have to. So either step up and help, or get the _hell_ out of my way."

Flash looks surprised for a few moments, and then sighs and reaches up to take that metal hat off and set it on the table. "Jay Garrick," he says, holding out one hand with a tired, strained smile. "Where do we start?"


End file.
